Good art in public places is one of the hallmarks of a great city. Here are images of sculptures, monuments, memorials, murals, reliefs, fountains and amenities at public places in Chicago... A Blog dedicated to the Sculpture Community of Chicago... Past, Present and Future...

Monday, June 4, 2007

Christopher Columbus..Sculptor: Carl Brioschi..Installed: 1933Description: Bronze figure, H 15 ft.Location: Grant Park, Columbus Dr. at Roosevelt Rd. Dedicated on Italian Day in 1933 at A Century of Progress, [the city's second world's fair] from the Italian-American Commuinity of Illinois ..

- Bronze statue of Columbus as he surveys the horizon, with a map in hand..- Relief symbols of the Santa Maria, one of the 3 ships that sailed to the “New World.”

An inscription on the marble base records the historic flight of aviator General Italo Balbo and his squadron of seaplanes across the Atlantic, from Italy to Chicago. Sculptural embellishments in relief roundels on the pedestal illustrate Columbus’ ship, the Santa Maria; his tutor Toscanelli, who taught him the world was round; Amerigo Vespucci, for whom the new world was named and the city seal of Genoa, his birthplace. The busts at the four corners signify faith, courage, freedom and strength.

The City of Chicago official website describes..Its sculptor, Carl Brioschi [1879-1941], was born in Milan and received his training in art in Italy before immigrating to New York at the turn of the century. He settled in Minnesota, where he also sculpted a Columbus monument for the State Capitol Building. Brioschi’s Chicago monument not only commemorated the arrival of Christopher Columbus [1451-1506] to the New World, but also conveyed the spirit of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression..

Saturday, June 2, 2007

UPDATE Now I got a reply back with an apology, and I am happy!The images have now been deleted ..Well, I got the screen capture of the "now deleted" posts on CLTV, that I have posted below .. scroll to the bottom of this article..

Original Post:This time it is Chicagoland TV.. using images without seeking permission and/or any authorization...

What's amusing is that even my copyright signature is present on the Rosenberg Fountain images... Although clearly deleted in the Bronze Cow and the Batcolumn images. The deliberate removal of the copyright signature from the images is even more of an offensive act and absolutely unethical.

I regularly receive emails seeking permission to use my images, ... mostly by students and I have allowed almost all of them ... It feels good, when the images are used constructively ... So please feel free to ask! I do reply!

Art-in-Architecture program runs at state level and federal level ..# [I] State of Illinois, Capital Development Board's Art-in-Architecture Program ..# [II] U.S. General Services Administration Art-in-Architecture Program ..

The Illinois Art-in-Architecture Program was created in 1977 under Public Act 80-241 .. to promote and preserve the arts of Illinois by securing artwork of all media for public buildings constructed with State funds. It's Capital Development Board spends one-half of one percent of the construction appropriation on the acquisition of artwork for new and renovated buildings that are open to the general public. A committee of artists, community representatives and state officials oversee each project and select the artwork.Some public art pieces funded by this Program ..# Freeform .. by Richard Hunt .. click here .. # Monument with standing beast .. by Jean Dubuffet .. click here .. # There are many art pieces at James R. Thompson Center funded by the State of Illinois, Capital Development Board's Art-in-Architecture Program ... For more .. click here

In August, 2005 ... the Chicago Transit Board approved an intergovernmental agreementto create an initiative that pairs the Chicago Transit Authority and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in providing more artwork at CTA rail stations. The two agencies will partner to select artists and artwork for CTA stations.

As part of the agreement, the City will continue to administer the solicitation, selection, design, creation and installation of public art on behalf of the CTA. The CTA will make the final selection of artwork and maintain ownership rights to all artwork created under this program.

Sometime in March, 2010, I had begun researching on a very interesting theme..Native American Representation in the Public Art Square of Chicago..click here.. It will be my an ongoing endeavour to highlight whatever materials I get on this theme, including their customs and traditions which find expressions in art form.. However although I began my probe into the realm of Public Art, I will enlarge the scope into whatever art form I get, including architecture, in the form of architectural sculptures..

What are Special Projects?What exactly are "special projects" ... I could not find the answer ...I am guessing, it refers to temporary exhibits ...

However I could find some information on the the projects implemented as special projects ... The Public Art Program oversees special projects that further contribute to the cultural enrichment of Chicago by creating and placing artwork in public and occasionally unexpected sites.

The city's first large-scale temporary project was "Botero in Chicago" [1994]. This was followed by "Horses, Rabbits, People Everywhere" [1996]. However, perhaps the most broadly known temporary project was "Cows on Parade" [1999]. This was followed two years later by "Suite Home Chicago" [2001], an exhibition that brought suits of fiberglass furniture to the strees. Other special project includes "America's Courtyard" by Denise Milan and Amy Perez, which is a permanent installation, south of the Adler Planitarium ... and the temporary "Three Forms for Chicago" by David Nash, both in the Museum Campus.

Two special projects utilizing the unique feature of Chicago River cutting through the heart of the city, were especially popular. Herbert Migdoll's "Swimmers" [2002]was composed of four 60-foot long depiction of swimmers installed alongside the river. Nancy Van Meer's monumental paintings were installed on the underside of the State Street Bridge and only visible to the general public when the bridge was raised, but visible at all times to anyone on a boat.

Graffiti is art or vandalism???That is debatable ... However, the city of Chicago has a prgram to eliminate graffiti ..

In 1993, Mayor Daley started a program called "Graffiti Blasters" .. to eliminate graffiti and vandalism in the city. The scheme promises free cleanup within 24 hours of a phone call to 3-1-1.

Prior to the program's inception, the city considered itself responsible for removing graffiti if it was on city property, but private property owners had to shoulder the cleanup costs for graffiti on their own property. The "Graffiti Blasters" program offers a free removal service even to private property owners.

It uses soluble abrasives [baking soda combined with high pressure water] and paints matching the city's official color scheme to erase all varieties of graffiti.

To report graffiti or request its removal, call the city's service request line at 3-1-1.

In 1978, the City Council of the City of Chicago passed a Percent-for-Art ordinance that requires 1.33% of the construction or renovation budget for City-owned buildings be set aside for artwork on the premises. It maybe commission or purchase of artworks for those buildings. The purpose of this law is to provide the citizens of Chicago with an improved public environment by enhancing city buildings with quality works of art by professional artists.

Also in 1978, the Chicago Public Art Program was established to implement the city's Percent-for-Art Ordinance, enacted in 1978. The Public Art Program ...- recognizes the importance of the artistic expression of local and international artists..- desires to enhance its public structures and environment through artwork located in public places ...- will enhance Chicago's stature as a national leader in public art ..

The Department of Cultural Affairs is charged with administering Percentage-For-Art law in cooperation with other city departments. The result of this cooperation is the establishment of Public Art Committee.

The Public Art Committee oversees the implementation of the Percent for Art Program. Project Advisory Panels are appointed for each site to recommend artists for commissions. These panels bring together architects, arts professionals, community representatives, and city personnel. The Public Art Committee reviews proposed construction projects and determines eligible Public Art Program projects, determines how the Public Art Program funds will be spent for each project, reviews the recommendation of the Project Advisory Panel regarding the artist(s) and artwork(s) to be selected, and makes the final selection of the artist(s) and artwork(s) to be commissioned or purchased by the Department of Cultural Affairs for each Public Art Program project.

The Public Art Programs have been established across the country in 200 states, counties and municipalities, to provide an effective vehicle for the commissioning and placement of such artwork ..

Since this "Public-Art-Program" has been adopted, the public art in chicago has grown by leaps and bounds ...and has enabled Chicago to build one of the finest collections of contemporary public art in the world.

NEOCLASSICISM..neoclassicism is a term used to describe works of art that are influenced stylistically or thematically by classical Greek and Roman sources. the origin of Neoclassical style lie with discovery of ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, which had been buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79. The preserved cultural artifacts of these cities educated and inspired European archaeologists, artists and collectors during the first half of the 18th century.The German art historian Johann Joachim Wickelmann's extensive and enthusiastic writings about the achievements of Greek sculptors encouraged artists to pursue classical forms and ideals as well.

European and American artists adopted Neoclassicism for aesthetic and cultural reasons and the style flourished during the revolutionary periods in France and the United States. The appropriation of classical forms suggested learning, democratic values, moral virtues and a sophisticated appreciation of beauty, each considered essential components in the development of a nation. Painters, sculptors, architects and democratic artists employed simple, flowing lines, restrained ornaments and idealized figures to impart their lofty aim to the public. American Neoclassical sculptures was produced by artists such as Horatio Greenough, Hiram Powers and Harriet Hosmer, who traveled to Rome and Florence during the first half of the 19th century to study with European masters.

Artistic Training in Italy and France..Horatio Greenough, Hiram Powers and Thomas Crawford were among the first American sculptors to have traveled to Italy in the 1830's to study Classical and Renaissance sculptures. Prior to this, the American demand for historical monuments and portrait busts was met by European masters trained in the Neoclassical style. Because of the first generation success abroad, a second group of sculptors, which included William Westmore Story, Harriet Hosmer and Randolph Rogers, moved to Italy in the 1850's. While still influenced by classical models, the younger sculptors were also inspired by literature, and they imbued their sculptures with greater degree of naturalism and drama.

By the 1850's many artists began to model first in clay and then replicate their work in bronze, a technique that produced a higher degree of modeling. French sculptors such as Antoine -Louis Barge [1796-1875] ushered in a new style that emphasized movement and vitality over the sedate and controlled manner of Neoclassicism. the Ecole des Beauz Arts in Paris soon emerged as the new center for sculptures and Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French were the first American sculptors to train there. Their dynamic bronzes, which illustrate effects of light and shadow, reveal a new direction in American sculptures.

It's very difficult to find works that are able to materialize the fantastic conjunction of the Nude with Art. Only a few masters in the history of art were able to pass this test. The true essence of art is beauty, joined with the sensuality of the nude, often confused with vulgarity. Nudity is always disquieting, instigating and surprising. So the artist, both in painting and in sculpture, in dancing or in photography, discovers in the nude a profound link with the pureness of being. Sensuality stimulates creativity in every sense. Sensuality also evokes love, passion and the creation of man. This is why nudity moves us so profoundly...- Ariano Cavalcanti de Paula

I guess, it's best to use Facebook Album in conjecture with my Blogs..My Facebook Albums [yet in very initial stages] can be summarized in various categories:- Contemporary Scuptors of Chicago- More Sculptures- More Sculptors- Chicago - Architecture- Chicago - Cityscape

About Me

All the images in this blog and my other blogs, have been produced by me. See and enjoy the images. But please do not use or reproduce any of these images without written permission.
Contact at: jyoti[at]lensimpressions[dot]net